看着普通杂货购物车的内容,世界经济不足为奇Forum警告that there will be more plastic than fish by weight in oceans by 2050. From coffee bags to cheese wrappers—food and beverage packaging is a主要贡献者塑料污染。Scientists warn塑料在环境中的扩散正在引起各种健康和生态问题。一些公司开始认识到采取行动的必要性。
雀巢estimates that it produced about 1.5 million tons of plastic in 2018. In April 2018, Nestlé committed tomake 100 percent of their packaging reusable or recyclable by 2025。雀巢CEO Mark Schneider said in the announcement, “Plastic waste is one of the biggest sustainability issues the world is facing today. Tackling it requires a collective approach. We are committed to finding improved solutions to reduce, re-use, and recycle.”
从2020 - 2025年开始,雀巢将逐步淘汰所有不可回收或难以回收的塑料。到2025年,雀巢将大大提高其水瓶线中使用的再生塑料的比例。从2019年开始,该公司将开始消除其产品中的所有塑料吸管。新创建的雀巢包装科学研究所将领导新的可持续包装的开发和评估。
雀巢also joined Loop, a subscription home delivery service for foods and household goods with reusable packaging. Spearheaded byTerraCycle, the project will deliver items to the consumer’s front door in customized, durable packaging that is then collected, cleaned, refilled, and re-used. Nestlé will participate in the project through its brand Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream in New York City, thereby joining other consumer goods producers like Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, and Mondelēz International.
Mondelēz国际加入该平台的米尔卡品牌饼干,蛋糕和甜食,作为其在2025年之前使所有包装可回收的承诺的一部分。该承诺还包括消除全球6500万公斤的包装材料,并在2020年到2020年可持续采购所有纸质包装承认消费者在完整的回收系统中所扮演的角色,Mondelēz还旨在在2025年之前向消费者提供更好的回收信息,并清楚说明其包装。
“塑料废物及其对地球的影响是我们的消费者深切关心的广泛,系统性的问题,需要整体反应。与来自整个行业以及公共和私人实体的合作伙伴一起,我们可以帮助开发实践解决方案,从而产生积极的环境影响,”说Rob Hargrove, Executive Vice President, Research, Development, Quality, and Innovation at Mondelēz.
Unilever- Ben&Jerry's,Lipton和Dove等品牌的所有者每年购买超过200万吨塑料。该公司承诺在2025年实现各种包装目标:使其所有包装可回收,可堆肥或可重复使用;在其塑料包装中使用25%的再生塑料,并将与产品处置相关的废物减半。联合利华计划通过开发新的流程和技术(例如Creasolv,从使用的茶袋中回收高价值聚合物,以制造可回收的塑料包装。
The commitments from these companies come amid growing public outcry over the proliferation of plastics in the environment. After an exposition finding plastics from Nestlé, Unilever, and Colgate in a popular diving spot in the Coral Triangle, Abigail Aguilar, campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines,说,“如果雀巢和联合利华等大公司不回应我们减少一次性塑料生产的呼吁,那么这些'天堂'等地,例如Verde Island Passage,就会丢失。”2018年reportfrom the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives found Nestlé and Unilever were the brands most responsible for plastic pollution in the Philippines.
Several public laws are taking steps to reduce plastic waste. Most notably, in2018年10月,到2020年,欧洲议会投票通过了10种不同的一次性塑料禁令。到2025年,该提案要求减少25%的塑料,目前没有实际的实际选择,而90%的饮料瓶将被回收。
公司有一种可减少塑料前进的选项是基于植物的可生物降解包装。大自然工作uses corn to produce a biodegradable industrial resin or polymer in the form of polylactic acid (PLA). The polymer, called Ingeo, can be used to make products such as compostablecoffee capsules和酸奶杯。但是,废物管理和专家有成立用INGEO制造的产品通常无法完全堆肥或可回收。
重要的是要注意,可生物降解的材料不会崩溃在垃圾填埋场。可生物降解包装的使用增加必须伴随着更多的堆肥基础设施。
Another company,TIPA,创建了一种新的包装技术fully biodegradablein both industrial and home composting. They promote their technology as an alternative to conventional flexible packaging, such as candy bar wrappers and coffee bean bags. Flexible packaging is generally not recyclable. TIPA asserts their packaging is as good as conventional flexible packaging in terms of shelf life, durability, sealing strength, printability, and flexibility.
一些较小的食品和饮料公司已经为可持续包装铺平了道路。例如,Alter Eco’s藜麦包装可堆肥,由Gone4good。B.O.S.S. Food’s小吃吧使用Tipa制造的可堆肥包装纸。
有可能完全避免包装。Zero-waste stores从布鲁克林到马来西亚的地方弹出,使顾客可以在可重复使用的容器中使用散装产品。
虽然水果和蔬菜经常散装,但许多公司也包装这些食物以延长保质期。阿佩尔Sciences找到了另一个解决方案。它们的产品是用植物材料制成的薄薄味涂层,可用于水果和蔬菜,以显着改善保质期。创始人兼首席执行官詹姆斯·罗杰斯(James Rogers)说,“我们的[使命]的核心正在研究自然生态系统,以确定和确定它用来解决问题的材料以及我们如何能够提取和隔离这些材料以解决人类的其他问题。”
人们还减少了家里对食品包装的使用。自制或购买的蜜蜂包裹蜡是塑料包裹和塑料零食或三明治袋的可持续替代品。不仅可以重复使用蜂蜡,而且还可以堆肥,而且需要少得多energy and greenhouse gasses生产比铝箔。自制的包裹除了蜂蜡和棉花外,什么都没有制成。可以从诸如Bee’s Wrap, who also uses tree resin and jojoba oil, a natural antibacterial.